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Category: Veterans and Military History

Image of Frances L. Clatin dressed as a soldier with firearm

Women Soldiers in the Civil War, Part 2: Their Service Remembered in Library of Congress Primary Sources

Posted by: Cheryl Lederle

At least 400 women served as soldiers on both sides of the Civil War and explored why they joined and how they managed to pass as men. Primary sources from the Library of Congress chronicle the experiences of some of those women, and allow us to examine how they were remembered after their service.

Image from newspaper article on women soldiers with drawing of women wearing military cap

Women Soldiers in the Civil War, Part 1: Going Behind the Gender Lines

Posted by: Cheryl Lederle

Women filled a variety of roles in the Civil War. In addition to women who served as spies, daughters of regiments, cooks, laundresses, and nurses, approximately 400 posed as male soldiers. So, who were these hundreds of women soldiers? Why did they join? And how did they manage to do it?

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Remembering Armistice Day: “I Did My Bit for Democracy”

Posted by: Stacie Moats

Ask your students, “What national holidays have Americans traditionally celebrated in November?” and most will likely respond, “Thanksgiving.” Some may also reply, “Veterans Day.” But I would venture to guess few students, if any, would answer, “Armistice Day.”